The present invention relates to an accessory component for piping, such as a valve, filter or the like.
Accessory components of the kind of flow control and adjustment elements, such as valves or cocks, or of the kind of purification devices, such as filters, are known which are inserted along the rigid or flexible piping of hydraulic systems such as e.g. irrigation plants and systems for spreading fertilizers and the like.
Each component comprises a hollow body that is connected to two or more piping segments.
In many applications it is necessary to fix and/or support such auxiliary components onto supporting structures (walls, frames of machines or the like); one might consider, for example, the cases in which at least some segments of piping do not rest on a continuous supporting surface (ground or machine frames) but are hung or suspended from supporting structures arranged proximate to them, or the cases in which segments of flexible pipes can move and be maneuvered so that they can be variously orientated and positioned.
In the case of rigid piping, such components are usually fixed and supported by the piping segments to which they are connected.
In the case of flexible piping, the components are fixed to the supporting structures from which the piping segments to which they are connected are hung or suspended; flexible piping in fact cannot bear the weight of such components.
For example, in the case of agricultural irrigation with a mobile apparatus carried by a tractor and with flexible piping, the components (valves, cocks) are fixed to the chassis of the tractor.
Known components commonly do not have devices for fixing to the supporting structures; they are anchored by means of coupling plates and auxiliary screw means that users provide and install on their own and in a makeshift manner.
The users, after providing the coupling plates and screw means, must form holes or coupling points on the body of the component and on the corresponding coupling plate so that they mate, and finally must connect to each other the component to be fixed, the corresponding coupling plate, and the supporting structure.
These operations are long and labor-intensive and often the resulting fixings are uncertain and unreliable, while the unintentional execution on the part of users of incorrect maneuvers or tampering of the component to be fixed can compromise the correct functionality and/or tightness of the component.
Components are also known on the body of which there are bosses in which nuts are inserted, the stems of such screw means and components provided with auxiliary fixing feet being clamped therein.
In these last cases, the considerable space occupation of the supporting structures and of the components to be fixed reduces the space available to perform and check the fixing operations, which accordingly are awkward, labor-intensive and inaccurate.
Moreover, it is noted that if an auxiliary component fixed to a supporting structure needs to be replaced with another one of a different type or size, the fixing of such component generally requires the adoption of another coupling plate and the provision of additional holes or coupling points, since it is highly unlikely that the ones of the previous component can be reused.
These known kinds of accessory components for piping are not devoid of drawbacks, including the fact that they are difficult to anchor to supporting structures, they cause the operations for fixing them performed by users to be disadvantageously long, labor-intensive and highly complicated, they do not allow to provide precise and safe fixings, they do not allow to use existing coupling holes or points, and they entail the risk of losing functionality or tightness due to involuntary tampering on the part of the users during said fixing operations.
Known types of auxiliary component provided with fixing elements (studs or feet) further have disadvantageously high production costs.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above noted drawbacks of known types of accessory component by providing an accessory component for piping, such as a valve, filter or the like, that has low production costs, can be easily anchored to supporting structures, and allows to simplify, facilitate and speed up the fixing operations performed by users and ensure safe and accurate fixings.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an accessory component for piping, such as a valve, filter or the like, which has a functionality and tightness that cannot be altered by the fixing operations performed by users and allows to use coupling points or holes already provided on the supporting structures.
Another object of the present invention is to achieve the above aim and object with a structure that is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and relatively low in cost.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are all achieved by the present accessory component for piping, such as a valve, filter or the like, of the type that comprises a hollow body that can be connected to sections of piping, characterized in that means for coupling said component to a supporting structure are formed on at least one outer wall of said body.